A healthy ‘opening-day’ crowd were treated to a free-flowing passing game in St Helier which included six well-worked goals and a 40-yard beauty from man-of-the-match Francis Lekimamati in Jersey’s 4-3 victory.
And you can’t help but feel the artificial surface – in use for the first time since being installed over the winter – had a massive part to play.
Guernsey’s players and staff may not have been too pleased with the result having been beaten for the third time in a row since their 2012 success, but those in green remained impressed by the upgrade.
And although there were indeed a few cramping legs as the final whistle approached (perhaps due to an unfamiliar feeling under-foot), negativities appeared to be outweighed by the precision the pitch allowed.
‘I like it, I prefer it to the grass,’ said Lekimamati.
‘Towards the end of the game it did get quite hard, but I think that was because of the game itself rather than the pitch.
Jersey’s goalkeeper, Euan Van der Vliet, added: ‘You can’t beat grass, but it was good to get the ball down and knock it around.
JFA president Phil Austin said: ‘A pitch like this invites good football. You’ve got to be able to control the ball and pass around to play well on this.
‘Most people say as a spectacle it looks fantastic – the pitch looks good and I’m sure the players enjoyed playing on it.’
Sarnian striker Robbie Legg may have been on the wrong side of defeat, despite scoring a hat-trick, but he too commended the facility:
‘It is hard to get used to and it doesn’t give as much when you go up for a challenge, but you get used to it and moving the ball becomes a lot easier.
‘Overall I think it’s a good pitch.’
